Miscellaneous Productions

Homemade Table Saw – Part 1 – DIY Motor Mount & Adjustable Bed

So I had a table saw motor from what was a cheap machine, that contained the start and stop button, drive motor, mounting holes and blade in one unit. I got my hands on this probably 8 years ago, and it was part of a functioning table saw, which I think is still quite easy to find. It was limited in what it could do, because the blade remained in one position and angle cuts were achieved by tiling the bed, which made cutting feel quite dangerous.

I bought mine as an ex demonstration model for about £40 but you can find them second hand at the usual outlets. The bed also didn’t have any parallel groves for a sled or mitre fence. So eventually I got rid of the machine but kept the motor, with the intention of building my own table saw one day.

The reason I wanted to make one, was so I could use it to do quick kerfing or coffin cuts on pieces of timber, and after making a sled, I could also make finger and bridle joints.

I had some nice ply left over which had got a bit damp. I began by squaring a piece of 18mm and then cutting a rectangle out so I could later mount the motor as high as I could, to get the most blade showing. I then cut a groove to hold the piece of ply which would hold the motor, followed by cutting two side pieces from 24mm and another from 18mm. The 18mm piece was cut to fit in the groove with a protruding section which fitted between the shorter lengths of the rectangle opening of the first piece of ply. This was a bit of simple joinery to stop the piece sliding around. I cut an identically sided based which I screwed at the bottom and used insert nuts and machine screws at the top. The idea was to open the machine up from the top when and if I needed to change the blade. In retrospect I could have cut an angled channel near the blade opening which would have let me do this. I later cut groves on the side and mounted inserts nuts which would allow me to raise a second skin or bed and change the depth of the blade.

In the next video I will make parallel groves, a sled, a guide rail and extraction system.

Hi Sam, a lot of my videos are as much about not doing what I have done as they are about instructing. I would recommend buying a secondhand saw, which would be safer, unless there’s a very specific requirement for building your own. Thanks, Savvas

Hi..
My name is mauricio , I would like to know if you have a plan to build my own saw. I clearly understand that it is unsafe and the risk of working with these tools , but in my country is very expensive even get a second hand.
would greatly appreciate your help.
Thank you .

Hello..
Am a Tunisian woodworker beginner and I got the same portable saw as you used in the video, I recognize it from the shape and the color of the motor, also the bed didn’t contain parallel groves! It’s a German made machine since 1995, that’s why it didn’t contains some needed options, so after many hour of looking in youtube, I can’t find a better table for my saw but the one you made! Am willing to make one if you can help me with some measurements.